Simple Request
by Moon Step
Summary: AU He was the thief that stole her possessions, but he’s willing to give them back, if she’ll grant him one simple request. [SangoMiroku fluff]


_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters in the show._

* * *

**Simple Request**

* * *

The rain fell from the sky, prattling softly when it came in contact with the ground. It was not raining too heavily yet, but the booming of thunder in the distance held its own promises, especially since it seemed to be getting closer. The rain clouds blocking the sun as it set gave the surroundings a bluish tint, which fit the mood of the area perfectly. People trudged home through the muddy streets, not at all fazed by the bad weather. It was a common occurrence in their "fair" city.

One woman in particular seemed undeterred by her surrounding, though looks can be deceiving. Still, there was confidence in her steps and she looked in every way the part of someone who had someplace to be or someone to get home to. However, there was no one waiting for her; she was all alone.

The twenty-two-year-old's face was carefully blank, her dark brown eyes giving away no emotions. As a fighter, it was how she was taught and she kept to her teachings. Her hair was tied back as to keep it out of her face since the slight chance of being blinded by it could put her at a grave disadvantage. One slender hand came up and pulled the hood of the cloak up, hiding her face by shadows, or at least her eyes, from the world around her.

While the woman, Sango, would have liked to hold her cloak around her more firmly as to keep out the rain, she didn't like the idea of having her hands occupied. She didn't particularly trust the section of the city she was walking in and wanted to be able to draw one of her daggers at any moment. It was better to be safe than sorry, though inwardly she winced as the wind blew her way, slowly soaking her through. Damn her and her need to be prepared.

Unfortunately for her, her mind was focused more on attackers coming out of the darkened alleys than the quiet pickpockets that walked easily through crowds. Which was even more unfortunate, since it left her open for a certain smug thief's robbery.

Sango felt someone brush past her quickly, which made her suspicious from the start. There were not many people still lingering outside and the street was unnecessarily wide, so why would they need to come in contact with her? But she did not think much of it, it flittered out of her head as the male kept walking at a fast pace in front of her.

That is, until she saw the glint of jewelry in the man's hand.

She made a quick check to her pocket, searching for its contents, but she came back empty-handed. To say that she was stunned would have been an understatement; she had not even felt him grab her belongings. No one had ever bested her before, she had always been able to catch them while they committed the crime.

_How the hell did he do that?_

She had no time to stay shocked though; it was time to take action.

"Hey!" she yelled, then immediately cursed herself inwardly for doing so. She had just alerted his attention.

The young man glanced back, a smug smile on his face as his blue eyes danced with laughter. Then he took off, running from her with increasing speed.

She gritted her teeth and yelled, "don't think you can just run away!", before setting off after him, feeling the anger within her rise.

He took a sharp turn into alley, but she followed easily, gaining on him, though she had a feeling he was not running to his fullest extent. Still he dodged through the streets, taking back-ways or even disappearing for a moment, trying to backtrack and lose her. Sango, however, followed faithfully, her cloak flapping behind her and her skirt hugging her legs as the wind and rain assaulted her.

She almost had him once when he faltered, losing his balance in the slippery mud, but he recovered just as she made a snatch for the back of his shirt, only to find herself trying to keep her balance in the same faulty spot, while he ran off.

Cursing her luck, she regained her steadiness before running toward the alley she saw him run through. However, when she got there, he had disappeared. She searched forward and then backtracked, trying to follow some of the muddy footprints, but they led her in circles.

The thief was nowhere to be found.

* * *

"Alright, let's try this one more time." 

The boy was sprawled across the ground, gasping for breath after the elbow to the stomach Sango had given him. He opened his tightly shut eyes to look up at her, though all he was rewarded with was rain.

It had been easy to get another one of them to come out and try to steal from her, walking in the same part of town. He had not been nearly as fast as the other, making him almost painfully easy to catch in the act. But then again, this one was only a kid. It nearly made her feel sorry for him, but he had chosen his path in life. And what had he decided? To be a robber of other people's hard earned money.

Which is exactly what gave people like her a job.

"There was one of you, a thief, yesterday, he… well, it doesn't matter what he did," she informed him, crouching down to be closer to him as she spoke. "He's about, I don't know, maybe six feet with blue eyes, black hair that was tied back into a small ponytail." _At least I think its black hair, but that might have been because it was soaked…_ "I want you to take me to him."

The boy looked like he might have wanted to argue, but seeing the hard glint in the girl's eyes, he must have thought it better to comply to her demand. It saved her a lot of time this way, since now she would not have to go look for the man in question in the normal criminal hangouts, which he might not have been in anyway.

Though she would have searched them all if she had to.

She just _had _to get that necklace back.

* * *

The tavern was crowded that night and loud because of that fact, three–fourth of the way filled with men. It was dim by preference and she did not mind, though the smoky atmosphere and the drunken males she could have done without. The boy that had led her there disappeared into the crowd almost as soon as they had arrived. It did not matter to her; even if her thief was not here, it was a place to start. 

Her eyes quickly scanned the place twice over before her eyes finally settled on the one she was looking for. He sat at a small table with three girls around him, one on each arm and the other practically lying on the table while leaning over it, giving him a spectacular view of her chest.

He flashed them a charming smile and said something to them in a low voice (she guessed since they leaned in even more to hear it), causing the girls to respond with infectious laughter and rather fake at that. The smile grew even more, though his eyes held not laughter, but hunger instead, his eyes often straying to the woman across from him, his gaze aimed about eight inches below her face.

Not liking that another woman was getting more attention, the girl to his left began playing with two of his earrings. The one to his right bested that though; she teasingly nipped at his ear, pulling the earring gently. The thief closed his eyes and leaned back in satisfaction.

Sango let out a soft growl of annoyance, disgusted by the girls that threw themselves at him like that. And even worse, how he just leaned back with that smug look.

Without really thinking, Sango stormed forward toward the table, moving people forcefully out of her way. When she reached them, none even looked up at her, not even for a second. Anger starting to boil through her veins once again, she withdrew a knife with lightning speed and jammed it into the table, all the while glaring at her thief.

The tavern quieted considerably, most of the people around them becoming onlookers since they were sure whatever would follow would be entertaining. Some even began mumbling to each other and taking bets, wondering what her problem was. Though most guessed that the thief had fooled around with her and now she was acting out of jealousy. Her eyebrow twitched at hearing this, but she pushed it to the back of her mind.

All three girls had managed to retreat from the crazed woman with a knife, but still lingered nearby, while Miroku only glanced up at the hooded woman in front of him, never taking his eyes from her. His eyes were not even hostile or confused, they were just as pleasant as they had been when he talked to the girls, though she did notice a bit of caution in them as well.

"Ah, I remember you from last night," he told her. It was like he was greeting an old friend or acquaintance. Well, technically they were acquaints, but not in a good way.

He motioned for her to take a seat across from him. She declined the offer by not moving from her spot and if he had been able to see her whole face, he would have noticed the incredulous look on it.

"I want my stuff back," she told him sharply while ripping the knife from where it was imbedded in the table. Sango held it tight in her hand.

Miroku raised an eyebrow. "You'd brawl with me over a few pieces of silver?"

His comment received a somewhat hearty laugh from the collection of thieves around them. Sango's frown deepened. "That necklace was invaluable," she spat out.

He shrugged at her words. "It seemed worthless to me."

His reply was so nonchalant, she found herself shaking with fury. Sango took a swipe at him with her blade, but he jumped up and out of his chair to avoid it. She recovered quicker than him and had the knife at his throat once he stood.

He could have easily swatted it away, she knew, but he did not. A few men around the room stepped forward, but he signaled them away with his hand, his eyes not leaving Sango.

He spoke calmly to her with a voice that was not exactly how a person would speak to a child, but close enough to it. "I pawned it off early, only I know where it is. And I promise you, you'll never find it if you kill me now. So let's point that in a safer direction…." He gently took her wrist and moved the hand with the blade so that it was no longer a danger to him.

She hated people like him, trying to smooth talk their way around anything. Nonetheless, Sango allowed him to move the dagger, having no other choice in the matter. If she was to get the necklace back with ease, she would need the thief's cooperation.

"Where did you sell it?" she asked haughtily.

He did not answer her question. Instead he was looking at her in a way she could not describe and that made her inexplicably nervous, which was unheard of. She had not been this uneasy in a long time. All the while he seemed to be doing some kind of deep thinking, but only God knows what was going through his head. He reached one hand toward her and she instinctively took a step back so that his hand fell short.

"May I see your face?"

The question startled her, coming out of the blue. She unconsciously took another step back, but in the end her hand slowly raised to her hood. Though she disliked doing what she was about to do in front of so many people, or really anyone she did not trust, she complied. It wasn't really that important, she only preferred to remain hidden, but if she wanted his help…. She let the hood fall back, revealing her face.

He met her eyes for only a second before his gaze drifted down to her mouth, causing her to lick her suddenly dry lips nervously. There was something in his eyes when she did it… something intense… but it was gone quick and she could not figure out what it was. He was looking at her in a different way though and she was sure that wasn't a good thing. She was beginning to wonder if it would have helped or hindered her if she were some ugly old hag.

"I'll give you the information… for a price," Miroku informed her, a wicked smile suddenly playing across his lips.

This could still work out well, she just had to relax and go along with whatever "price" he asked for. She'd pay him for it if she had to, though he'd ended up on her list of people she wanted dead. _He_ had stolen and now _she_ had to pay a price? Nevertheless, as long as she got it back she'd go along with anything, if it was within reason.

"What?" she asked suspiciously, forcing herself not to move back as he took a step forward, lessening the distance between them. They were hardly a foot apart.

There it was again, a flicker of something that she could not describe in his eyes, but she was sure it would lead only to mischief.

She was right.

"You'll have your assets back…" he started. He raised one hand to her face, cupping her cheek, and she willed herself to stay calm. _Stay calm, Sango, and then you'll have it back._

His thumb brushed against her lips. "…in exchange for a kiss."

Appreciative whistles were heard from some of the men, while the women pouted and complained, mostly quietly. Some of the female persuasion were quite open with their displeasure, mainly the girls that had been teasing him. A distinct whining of "Miroku", which Sango supposed was his name, was heard from a few.

She jumped back as soon as his thumb grazed softly over her mouth, leaving an (unfortunate) pleasant tingle behind. "W-what?" she sputtered as she backed up, a blush covering her face. She really wished she still had her hood on to hide her heated cheeks.

He met her eyes with a leveled gaze and a lazy smile, knowing he did not have to repeat his words.

"I won't," she snapped back once she got control of her sudden fast beating heart. "There's no way!"

"It's not too much to ask. I'm not even asking you to give yourself to me," _like I would to other girls_, he left unspoken, "but just for a simple kiss."

She shook her head though her face was still burning. "I won't do it, you jerk. You stole it in the first place, I'm not going to reward bad behavior!"

"And are your kisses so pleasant that they serve as rewards?" He inquired, one eyebrow arching.

"Hey, you're the one that asked for it, I didn't suggest it! But _you'd_ never find that out anyway," Sango replied, crossing her arms.

He shrugged his shoulders as though he did not care about her decision one way or another; he was fine with it either way. His eyes said differently. They seemed to be betraying him often that evening. "Then leave."

She opened her mouth to respond with a witty insult, but abruptly changed her mind. She spun around, her skirt and cloak sweeping around her as she did, and began moving toward the door. The criminals around her parted, leaving a path toward the door open.

"But you won't be able to find your necklace."

She paused for a moment, debating whether or not to send him a heated glare, but in the end did not even bother as she stormed out.

She'd find it on her own, she didn't need a _thief's_ help.

* * *

None of the shopkeepers or traders in the city had heard of the necklace, let alone had it with them. Sango must have gone to nearly every one, but she had no luck. Something told her going to the last few would be no different. That arrogant, sleazy jerk had been right and regrettably so. She could not find the necklace anywhere. 

Which meant only two things. A) he still had it, or b) it was hidden very well. Since using the second theory would take forever, she had no choice but to follow up on the former of her presumptions.

It was two days later that she went back to the tavern, the weather as dreary as ever. It was late that night or early morning, depending on a person's view, but the tavern was very much alive with people. She did not bother putting her hood up like she normally did, instead she took it down once she got there. Wearing her hood, she would be more noticeable then not. Now she was just another face in the crowd. Hopefully, no one would recognize her.

There were several men behind the counter of the bar, but after a few questions she figured out which one was the owner of the establishment. It only took a bit of (bad) flirting with the man—who seemed a bit too drunk to notice. The only thing his mind seemed to comprehend of the situation was: _pretty girl. Chat with pretty girl_—to find out where her thief, Miroku, was staying, since he was not in the tavern that night. He seemed disappointed when she let on that she was looking for Miroku, but gave her the information. It seemed other young women had asked for the same information so they had no problem about giving it out.

The inn was easy to find and Miroku's room was even easier to sneak into. All was dark inside and quiet, besides the rhythmic breathing of someone on the bed. Miroku. She listened for anything more, but there was nothing more. She was half-surprised there was not a second person sleeping in his bed, having seen his flirting skills and fan club a few nights previous. Though she was glad there wasn't because that would have just been… no. No, she did not want to even think about it. Images and other things she _so_ did not want to deal with.

Silently she crept around the small room, her eyes adjusting to the darkness as she searched the place. There was not much to search really. She sorted through a pile of clothes, looking through pockets for her necklace with no luck. She moved onto a drawer from the nightstand, moving carefully as she got closer to Miroku, but inside she only found a few gold coins, which she pocketed. He had stolen silver coins from her, so she could steal more back. Call the extra money a consolation prize.

Sango got up from the crouched position she had been in while looking through the draw and began moving toward a chest on the floor. She only got halfway there, however, before arms encircled her from behind. Hands quickly grabbed her wrists before she could fight back and she struggled against the person, but didn't have much luck. He held her tight against his front so moving too much was not an option.

"I knew you'd be back, I just wasn't sure when," Miroku said with a smile she could hear in his voice. She just knew he was silently laughing at her, especially about being caught. "You may be a good bounty hunter, but you'll learn it's very hard to thieve a thief. Or at least, a good one."

She felt a slight shock run through her at his words. "You know who I am."

"A bounty hunter, though you only go after criminals. Goes by the name of Sango." His breath was warm on her neck, an annoying distraction.

A foul thought came to mind. "You planned this all along, didn't you, you bastard."

He shook his head, though she couldn't see it. "No, I was actually quite surprised when I found out. Especially since hunter are supposed to be swift." She bristled at the comment, but remand quiet. The thief moved back until he was sitting on his bed, forcing her to sit down on his lap since he still held her tight. "I believe you have something of mine."

He moved her hands so they were behind her back and then held them fastened together with one hand while at the same time, trapping them against his stomach. The second, now unoccupied hand he placed on her hip. She squirmed while making indignant, protesting noises and shifted away from him as his hand began to move along her side. Finally it stopped when it found her pocket before it went in, searching for his stolen money.

Miroku purposefully grazed her thigh as he "looked" for his coins, his fingers softly stroking the skin through the cloth. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling. She fought the urge to shudder or gasp by biting the inside of her cheek. It was just what he wanted her to do, show some sign of enjoyment. No, she wouldn't give into him. Besides, she was still extremely uncomfortable with her current situation.

Finally he took the money and retracted his hand, putting the coins on his bed beside them. "Now, why are you here stealing from me? Ah, yes, your necklace," he said, as though he only just remembered. "I told you I don't have it, but you don't seem to believe me. Fine, you've already searched the room, if searching me is what you want, by all means, search my person."

With his free hand he took one of hers from confinement and rested it on one of his sides. She tried to yank it away as it came in contact with warm skin which forced her to realize that he was without a shirt, but he held her hand firmly in place. Although it was awkward with her hands behind her back, he guided her hands over his stomach, her fingertips grazing his muscled abdomen. She had about all she could handle when he began to move her hand downward leisurely. When she touched the beginnings of his pants, she fought him with all her strength.

Sango quickly managed to get one arm free and used it to angle her arm up and elbow him. She came in hard contact with his chin, making fall backwards on the bed and at the same time forgetting about her, therefore releasing her. She fell from the bed and stayed crouched on the floor, drawing a dagger, and staying in a defensive position.

She expected him to be angry, no, furious at the blow. He wasn't. He laughed slightly as he rubbed his jaw. "Aren't you a feisty one?" He ignored the death glare she sent at him, but respected her wish to get to the point of why she was there. "_You_ came to search _my_ things. I told you you would find nothing. Though I could tell you where the necklace is and I haven't asked for much in return. My offer still stands." He continued to rub his sore chin. "Though for that I should up the price."

"Go to hell," she told him shortly, going to exit the room.

He stopped her at the door with a question. "Why is it so important to you?"

She was tempted not to answer, but for some reason in the end, she did. "…my father gave it to me."

On that ending note, she left him.

* * *

Another three weeks of searching and nothing. Nadda. Zip. Zilch. Zero. And all other words that meant _absolutely nothing._

It was so frustrating! And even _thinking_ about the thief made her so mad! Why the hell did he have to go and sell it? She'd never find it now, there was no way. It'd take her years to try and track it down and no matter how precious it was to her, she did not want waste all that time and still come up with nothing. Somewhere deep down, she knew she would never find it if she kept doing what she was doing.

It left her option-less and hopeless. Except for one desperate measure…

Or she could just go beat the crap out of Miroku until he told her where it was.

Yeah, she liked that idea _much_ better.

Sango practically kicked the door in when she reached the tavern. It drew some attention to her, but the people were too loud for anyone but those near the door to notice. She ignored them all and headed straight to her target. He was at the same table she had seen him that first night, though two things were noticeably different. He seemed lost in some kind of deep thought, his eyes intense and a frown on his face, which stirred something odd within her. She had never seen anything but a self-confident smile on his face. And second, he was alone, surprisingly enough. Not even one woman was hanging all over him that night.

She did not have time to ponder these two odd facts for long, however, as she stomped over to him. He seemed about to say something, but then when he looked up and saw it was her, he stopped and a smirk replaced his frown, his eyes dancing with mischief. What a transformation.

Not even saying a word, she went in the direction of the back rooms and found an empty one. Miroku followed without a word of protest. He closed the door behind them and the noise from the tavern faded, leaving a loud silence to take over the room.

Sango's eyes flashed with anger. "I want it back."

"Are we still on this subject?" he said, his voice teasing.

"It's not funny, that item is very precious to me." Sango looked away when she said it, but after a few moments she turned back to meet his blue eyes, a sudden vulnerability in her own. "What'll it take?"

She let out a silent sigh of defeat. She would not fight him because after seeing him, she knew it would be no use. She had almost completely given up. Almost. She still had some reserves.

"I've told you already."

She shook her head as she looked down, not able to look at him. "No."

He closed some of the distance between them. "Why are you so against it? It isn't that much of a big deal. If anything, I should be asking for more after you've stolen from me and assaulted me."

Her anger began boiling over the rim once more. "Excuse me, you're the one who stole first! Otherwise, I wouldn't _be_ in this situation, you dirty thief."

Miroku gave her one of his most charming smiles that melted most women in their place. She wasn't affected by it, only continued to glare.

He took a step forward, eyes never leaving her.

"It's a simple request, really."

Another step. Her heart began to pound at the intensity and rawness in his gaze. She tried to look away, but she was caught.

"Just one kiss."

They were hardly a foot apart, but he did not move closer than that, nor did he reach out for her. He was leaving the last step up to her, making it her decision still. Her throat felt dry, she could not even move back, away from him. It was like her legs, her entire body, would not allow her retreat.

"What harm could it do?"

His scent took over her, the heat from his body wrapping around her in a comforting way.

No, she would not give in. She would have to get it back another way. Though she had already _tried_ and failed miserably. Still, she would not do as he requested.

…But if she wanted it back… did she really have any other choice?

She took the last step toward him hesitantly, her hands gently going to his cheeks, cradling his face. She saw how he watched her with unreadable emotion on his face that reflected in his eyes as she brought his head down. Then her eyes were closed as she merely touched her lips to his in a soft kiss. He did not respond, letting her brush her lips slowly against his once… twice… and then a third time. It was then that he was no longer able to hold back, moving his lips against hers. He struggled to keep the kiss as chaste as she first made it while wrapping his arms around her.

Sango's lips parted slightly as she continued to kiss him and she felt his tongue slide along her bottom lip. She drew back somewhat in surprise, but his mouth captured hers quickly, resuming their kiss. She did not protest the continuation; in fact, her hands slid down until they were around his neck, pulling him down to be even closer to. His hands were dangerous close to her bottom, but stopped just above in a small show of self-control. His hands kneaded her lower back instead, causing her to melt into him, her knees feeling weak.

He concentrated on taunting her bottom lip, trying to get her to allow him entrance. A wonderful sensation that began in her stomach, spreading throughout her body as his tongue licked gently at her lip. She ignored his plea of entrance, however, keeping it a simple, chaste kiss as she moved her lips against his and he hungrily accepted what she was willing to give.

Finally she drew away, letting her arms fall limply to her sides again once she realized what she was doing. Miroku tried to follow her lips, but to no avail.

He slowly opened unfocused eyes, lust still apparent in them. Silently, he reached into his pocket and came out with her necklace. "I knew after I stole it, you'd come back for it eventually."

She tried to form words, but ended up sputtering, words not able to describe her emotions. She snatched the necklace from him with one hand then drew the other one back to punch him, her face furious and her eyes burning with anger.

Miroku, however, caught her fist before it struck home, and brought it up, laying a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. The fist unclenched for a moment before she came to her senses and yanked it back.

Her face was red from a combination of anger and embarrassment, both emotions extremely strong within her. Anger from his deception, embarrassment from what she had just done to get it back. Worst of all was the fact that she had enjoyed it. "You had it all along!" she yelled.

Not able to stand being in the same room with him anymore, she went to the door, muttering, "I should have just taken it from your corpse."

"Why don't you ever wear it? It would have been harder to steal then," he called after her, mainly because of curiosity, but also to get her to stay.

"That's my business, jerk," she informed him. She was about to leave, but thought better of it, turning to face him. "Don't you even think about coming near me again. I'll kill you if I do. And get a nice bounty from it while I'm at it."

She stormed out then like she had done before while Miroku just watched. Both knew that what she had just said was untrue. And he knew for a fact he would not be staying away. Not after that kiss. He knew she had felt something as well, otherwise she would not have put her arms around him like she had.

He smirked, looking at the door she had disappeared through. "We'll be meeting again, hunter."

And so the relationship between thief and bounty hunter began.


End file.
